Peruvian Food & Drink Diversity

Lomo Saltado

A typical Peruvian Dish combining Local, European and Asian Flavors

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Lomo Saltado is one of the most popular and iconic Peruvian dishes. It is a comfort food that can be found nearly everywhere in Peru, prepared at home for family and friends, in simple restaurants and up-scale places alike, and of course in Peruvian restaurants abroad. This traditional creole dish represents like no other the unique fusion of different cultures, traditions and flavors that is so characteristic for today’s Peruvian cuisine.

In the 19th century masses of Chinese immigrants settled along the Peruvian coast to work in the booming agricultural sector. Like the Spanish conquerors, the Basques and African slaves before them, they brought their cooking culture and techniques as well as a few ingredients with them. Merging Peruvian ingredients such as potatoes, aji (Peruvian chili) and meat with the Chinese style of preparing food (finely slicing ingredients and rapidly stir frying them in a wok), Lomo Saltado was born.

The traditional Lomo Saltado is prepared by stir frying sliced beef tenderloin or sirloin with red onions, tomatoes and aji amarillo (yellow Peruvian chilies) adding soy sauce, vinegar and cilantro. Mixed with French fries and served with rice, Lomo Saltado is a great example of how foreign influences and cooking styles not only coexist next to the native, local cuisine, but melt in harmony creating new, enriched Peruvian flavors.

And for some variation of this fantastic and beloved dish, the beef can be substituted with chicken breast (Pollo Saltado), pork loin (Lomo Saltado de Cerdo), shrimps (Camerones Saltado) or a mixture of seafood (Saltado de Mariscos). Delicious!

Is your mouth already watering? So indulge in my quick and simple to prepare recipe for authentic Peruvian Lomo Saltado. All ingredients can be found easily, no matter where in the world you live; except for the aji amarillo. If you want to stay as authentic as possible and don’t live in Peru, try Latin American food stores around you or online shops. They usually carry aji amarillo in jars or frozen as well as aji amarillo paste that serves its purpose of giving this dish a mild spicy note. If you can't get it, you can use any other mild yellow, orange or red chili pepper or even an orange bell pepper. The Pisco is optional and can easily be left out; I usually add it to my Lomo Saltado to give the dish this little extra Peruvian flavor.

Photos

Eva’s Classic Recipe for Authentic Peruvian Lomo Saltado3 - 4

Food

Ingredients:

500 g beef tenderloin or sirloin (1 lb)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 big or 2 small red onions

2 aji amarillo / yellow Peruvian chili pepper

2 tomatoes

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

500 g potatoes (1 lb)

1 tablespoon olive oil

deep-frying oil

3-4 tablespoons soy sauce (or more)

3-4 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or more)

Fresh chopped cilantro

Squeeze of lime juice

Splash of Peruvian Pisco (optional!)

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Cut meat into thin slices and place in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and a little bit of pepper, stir. Let marinate.

Cut onions lengthwise into thick slices, deseed tomatoes and cut as well lengthwise into thick slices, deseed the aji amarillo (or other chili pepper) and cut in thin strips.

Place onions, tomatoes and chili into a bowl, add the balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, stir and let marinate.

Peel potatoes and cut into French fries, fry until cross. Set aside.

Add olive oil to a big sauté pan or wok and preheat. Then stir fry the meat in small portions over high heat until it’s just done (about 2 to 3 minutes). Reserve the marinate and if present the juice.

Add the onions, tomatoes and aji, after a minute the reserved marinates and meat juice, 3 – 4 tablespoons of soy sauce and the red wine vinegar. If you like more sauce, add more equal amounts of soy sauce and vinegar.

Let simmer until the onions and tomatoes start to soften (they should stay “al dente”). Immediately remove from heat.

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